Produce slicing apparatus

ABSTRACT

Produce to be sliced is added via either or both of a pair of entrance ports for gravity feed onto the upper surface of slicing members. Each slicing member includes a parabolic knife blade that is adjustably and removably mounted within a pressure plate, such that the knife blade can be positioned to any particular location above the surface of the pressure plate within the operative limits of the equipment. By means of a threaded screw attached to each of the blades, they may be positioned as a unit to an exact spacing with respect to the major planar surface of the carrier such that a produce is added through the ports, it is sliced to a thickness determined by the spacing between the blade members and the blade pressure plate surface. A continuous speed control is provided for the power equipment which rotates the carrier and blade member assemblies.

Siegmann [54] PRODUCE SLICING APPARATUS 51 Aug. 22, 1972 PrimaryExaminer-Willie o. Abercrombie 7 u W L Hacienda Atto'mey -qeorge J.Netter and Kendrick and Subkow Heights; Calif. [5 Cr 73 Assi ee:Brothers Metal Products, I Inc. 1 gn Momebeui, Calif. Produce 10 besliced iS via either 01' both of a pair of entranceports for gravityfeed onto-the upper [22] Flled: 1970 surface of slicing members; Eachslicing member in- 21] App] 32,994 cludes a parabolicknife blade that'isadjustably and rcmovably mounted within a pressure plate, such that Ythe knife blade can be positioned toany particular lou u "146/ I tiabove th f f ss c. iguana 13 he operative limits the equipmem By meansofa 1 l may be pcsitionecl as a unit to an exact spacing with [56]References Cited respect to the major planar surface of the carrier suchUNITED STATES PATENTS- t a g p g u de flgq g the g t g is '-:o,acessermm yespacmg weene 2,796,103 6/1957 Femstem 146/ 124 vbldevmemb'ers and t blade prawn plate surface 1,676,241 7/ 1928 Ayars"146/124 X A continuous speed comm] isprovided for the power fi fi ig 4/1 3; equipment which rotates the carrier and blade 3:530:95 9/1970Moriuchi i i6/12s.x member assembhes' SCIains, 5 Drawing Figures i V 2 e17 14 a/ i Y v52 /6 L /a 1 20 25 I! ll 25 ,2 1 .I: 1 Y

A El v A l 4- is 27 46 .45 w v; 46 -1 I n 4a 1 5 um w Patented Aug. 22,1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WW kw 6 WA w mw E6..d 7 W9 m 1 IL 2 V w W KPutented Aug. 22, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 056 87 L. 5/66M/4/VA/BY K6/VDE7/7d SUBKdW Patented Aug. 22, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 5.

5. INVENTOR I 05627 4. 5/6GMAN/V PRODUCE SLICING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The trend in recent years in the produce field has been tosupply such things as cut lettuce to the ultimate consumer already cutto selectively desired form and packaged. In particular, institutionssuch as hotels, schools and the like are desirous of obtaining largequantities of already cut and chopped salads, lettuce, cabbage or otherproduce which gives rise to the need for slicing or cutting machineryespecially adapted for high volume handling of such produce. Forexample, in the case of lettuce, it is desirable to be able to cut thelettuce in rather thick chunks for certain uses, whereas for other usesit may be desirable to slice it into very fine shreds, which issometimes referred to as Taco Cut. And, in order to provide thevariations in cut desired, it is necessary that satisfactory slicingequipment be accordingly selectively adjustable.

It can also be shown that in the quantity cutting of lettuce, therequired speed at which a revolving slicing knife must be moved isdependent upon the thickness of cut, since this determines the amount offrictional force acting in a direction to retard rotation of the slicingknife. However, until applicants advent into the field, produce slicingapparatus, at best, was provided with only a few discrete speeds ofoperation, thereby making it inefficient in the slicing of largequantities of a'particular size or degree of cutting desired by theultimate user. Also, in addition to being inefficient in a cut, inmaking certain types of cuts, unless the cutting speed is relativelyprecisely matched to the desired cut, there will be a tendency to bruisethe produce, thereby decreasing its shelf life and its acceptability bythe user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is therefore provided in the practice ofthe present invention slicing apparatus for handling large quantities ofproduce in relatively short periods of time, which can be readilyadjusted to provide slicing to any desired thickness, and accomplish theslicing at any predetermined adjustment setting in an optimallyefiicient manner. Produce to be cut is added via either or both of pairof entrance ports for gravity feed onto the upper surface of slicingmembers. Each slicing member includes a parabolic knife blade that isadjustably and removably mounted within a pressure plate, such that theknife blade can be positioned to any particular location above thesurface of the pressure plate within the operative limits of theequipment. More particularly, by means of a threaded screw attached toeach of the blades, they may be positioned as a unit to an exact spacingwith respect to the major planar surface of the carrier such that asproduce is added through the ports, it is sliced to a thicknessdetermined by the spacing between the blade members and the bladepressure plate surface.

In addition, a continuous speed control is provided for the powerequipment which rotates the carrier and blade member assemblies.Fingertip adjustment of the speed control adjusts the rotative speed ofthe blade members and pressure plate assemblies in accordance with therequirements of the particular desired cutting operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form ofthe apparatus in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the apparatus taken along theline 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan, enlarged view of the slicer and carrier assembly takenalong the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional, partially fragmentary view of a portion of theknife and carrier blade assembly taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now madesimultaneously to both FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing depicting theslicing apparatus of this invention enumerated generally as at 10. Agenerally upstanding support frame or table 11 for supporting theslicing apparatus has an open undersection from which cut produce isremoved or at which containers for the cut produce can be positionedduring slicing. A hollow, open sided housing 12 is mounted axiallyvertically in the center portion of the support 11 and includes on itsupper surface a pair of hollow tubular ports 13 and 14 which communicatewith the interior of the chamber 12. It is via these ports havingenlarged open upper ends 15 that uncut produce to be sliced is added tothe equipment. Between the ports 13 and 14 and substantially axiallylocated with respect to the cylindrical chamber 12, a slicer bladeassembly shaft 16 is enclosed within an upstanding housing 17, whichshaft terminates at its uppermost end in a blade adjustment means 18 tobe described in detail later herein.

Rotative power is provided to the shaft assembly 16 via a pulley 1'9,belt 20, a further pulley 21 and electric motor 22. The pulley 21 andbelt 20 are enclosed within a guard 23 which is generally elongated andex tends from the pulley 19 outwardly beyond the outermost reaches ofthe support 11. A conventional electrical motor speed control 24provided with input power through leads 25 provides for variable speedcontrol of the motor 22, depending upon the setting of the adjustmentknobs 26 thereof. The detailed construction and operation of the motorcontrol 24 is not provided, since it is of generally conventionaldesign. The motor 22 and motor speed control 24 are mounted unitarily tothe side of the housing 12.

Attached to the undersurface of the housing 12 top is a hollow,cylindrical drum 27 which opens downwardly and generally encompasses theslicing. members to be described and into which the ports 13 and 14empty.

Turning now particularly to FIG. 3, each port 13 and 14 is seen tocomprise a lower part which is secured within an appropriate opening inthe drum 27 and a removable upper part positively positioned by acircumferential bead 28. The inner end of the ports extend downwardlywithin the drum 27 the same amount.

The shaft 16 is rotatably joumaled within the vertical adjusting meansby a bearing 29 disposed within a threaded hub collar 30, the latter, inturn, being tal wall of housing 17. A cap 32 is received within the 1upper, end of collar 30 to cover the nut 33 that retains the shaftwithin the bearing. An upstanding member 35 mounted on the upper surfaceof 17 includes calibrated markings for determining the amount ofvertical adjustment of the collar 30 by comparison of the calibratedmark 36 position.

Turning to FIG. 4, the blade pressure plate 37 comprises a generallycircular blank with a pair of cutout regions 38 and 39 for accommodatingthe arms of an S- shaped blade member 40. Referring also to FIGS. 3 and5, it is seen that the pressure plate 37 has a central thickenedmounting boss 41 integral with the blank and including an opening 42 forreceiving the shaft 16. More particularly, the boss 41, and thus theentire pressure plate, is secured to the shaft 16 between the shaftshoulder 43 and a nut 44 at the shaft terminus. Accordingly, verticaladjustment of the shaft 16 produces a corresponding vertical positioningof the pressure plate.

The blade assembly 40 includes a generally S-shaped carrier 45 ontowhich is affixed a blade 46 with its cutting edge extending beyond theperiphery of the carof a hub'48 having an elongated shank that isreceived about a shaft '16. Threaded: member 49, passing through-thecarrier and flange, unitize the parts by means of nuts 50 and furtherinclude elongated cylindrical' head portions 51 which are received incorresponding openings in the boss 41. That is, movement of the shaft 16which produces a corresponding movement of the boss 41 does not affectthe blade assembly 40, but merely produces a relative motion between thehead portions 51 and the boss.

The hub 48 shank has its upper end keyed to the pulley 19 as at 52 andis journaled in the lower wall of 17 by the means 53.

In making an adjustment of the cutting thickness desired, the lever arm34 is turned to loosen the locking nut 31, after which 30 is positionedto the. desired height as measured on 35, which moves the pressure plateand boss 41 as shown in FIG. 3, vertically up or down as the case maybe. This produces a change in the spacing between the upper surface ofthe pressure plate and the knife edge 46.

"Assuming adjustment of the cutting thickness is made as described inthe preceding paragraph, the cutting speed is then set by adjustment ofthe knobs 26 and the motor 22 is started. Rotation of the pulley 19turns the hub 48, blade assembly 40 and associated pressure plate 37 inthe direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, such that the convex sideofthe blade will engage the produce to be cut. Produce such as lettuce isthen inserted into the tops of the ports 13 and 14 and is cut by theblade edges, after which the cut produce falls out the bottom of thedrum 27 into suitable receptacles.

lclaim: v

1. Apparatus for quantity slicing of produce such as lettuce, cabbage orthe like into selected thickness grades, comprising, in combination:

i a housing; 7 1

a shaft generally vertically arranged within said hous- 1n Ifirstgournal means interconnecting the upper shaft end to said housing,said means including a collar having external threads for receipt.within a similarly threaded openingin said housing and intemal bearingmeans for receiving said shaft for rotation while preventinglongitudinal movement of said shaft relative to the collar;

a pressure plate mounted onto the lower shaft end for rotationtherewith; s 1 blade means received on said shaft above said pressureplate and adapted for rotation with and sliding movement along saidshaft; second journal means interconnecting the blade means with saidhousing for rotation relative thereto while maintaining said blade meansat a fixed vertical distance relative to said housing, whereby threadedadjustment of the collar in the housing effects variation of thevertical spacing between the blade means and the pressure plate; androtative power source means connected to the pressure plate for rotatingsaid plate and blade means. 2. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which thereare further provided means mounted on said housing adjacent said collarhaving spatial markings thereon for providing direct visual indicationof the amount of threaded receipt of the collar in the housing andthereby the spacing of the blade means from the pressure plate.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, in which said pressure plate includes acentrally located mounting boss with at least two openings for slidinglyreceiving blade means

1. Apparatus for quantity slicing of produce such as lettuce, cabbage orthe like into selected thickness grades, comprising, in combination: ahousing; a shaft generally vertically arranged within said housing;first journal means interconnecting the upper shaft end to said housing,said means including a collar having external threads for receipt withina similarly threaded opening in said housing and internal bearing meansfor receiving said shaft for rotation while preventing longitudinalmovement of said shaft relative to the collar; a pressure plate mountedonto the lower shaft end for rotation therewith; blade means received onsaid shaft above said pressure plate and adapted for rotation with andsliding movement along said shaft; second journal means interconnectingthe blade means with said housing for rotation relative thereto whilemaintaining said blade means at a fixed vertical distance relative tosaid housing, whereby threaded adjustment of the collar in the housingeffects variation of the vertical spacing between the blade means andthe pressure plate; and Rotative power source means connected to thepressure plate for rotating said plate and blade means.
 2. Apparatus asin claim 1, in which there are further provided means mounted on saidhousing adjacent said collar having spatial markings thereon forproviding direct visual indication of the amount of threaded receipt ofthe collar in the housing and thereby the spacing of the blade meansfrom the pressure plate.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2, in which saidpressure plate includes a centrally located mounting boss with at leasttwo openings for slidingly receiving blade means head portions thereinwhereby common rotative motion of the pressure plate and blade means iseffected while vertical positional change of the pressure plate withrespect to the blade means is accomplished on collar adjustment.